Wanted man assaults deputy, flees in car with his 3 young kids, Virginia cops say
A Virginia man is accused of assaulting a deputy, then taking off in a car with his three young children, according to a sheriff’s office.
Deputies responded to an argument June 24 at a strip mall in Fredericksburg, about a 50-mile drive southwest from Washington, D.C., the Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office said in a June 25 news release.
According to an investigation, a 29-year-old man involved in the dispute was wanted in another jurisdiction, deputies said. As the man was being detained, he assaulted a deputy and ran away, according to the sheriff’s office.
Then, the man got in a relative’s car with his three young children and drove away, deputies said.
Instead of chasing the car, deputies went to his home “out of immediate concern for the safety of the children,” according to the release.
There, they found the car had crashed into a fence, deputies said. Each child safely came out of the home, deputies said.
The man was asked to come out multiple times before he walked out and was arrested, according to deputies.
McClatchy News is not naming the man to protect the identity of his children.
He is charged with assault on law enforcement, obstruction of justice with force, misdemeanor eluding, three counts of child endangerment, felony hit and run, felony driving revoked (DUI-related) and failure to appear for a traffic offense, deputies said.
“We commend the incredible bravery of the three children, who made the courageous decision to exit the residence and seek safety,” the sheriff’s office said.
